Miles McEnery GalleryADAA The Art Show 2013

In Leaves of Ore II, Tam Van Tran begins with fragments such as porcelain shards that evoke memories of ceramic jars his mother used in Vietnam to make fish sauce and copper sheets that lift with air currents like palm fronds in the California Santa Ana winds. The fragments include found objects, cardboard and palm leaves as well as natural materials, clay, paint and paper. The materials come together and embody Tran's recalled experiences of bombs floating onto shore, villagers fishing with grenades, and intermittent evacuations. Acutely aware of himself as a Vietnamese-American absorbing both Eastern and Western cultural influences, Tran is a painter who actively considers, explores, and expands painting concepts.